I agree very much that the artists should make the decision, not the end users. But in the current legal climate and sea of misinformation put out by the music cartel, it's very hard for artists to make that choice, even if they want to.

I believe you make a serious mistake equating file sharing with software piracy. Software piracy is organized duplication of software for sale -- and that's music (or DVD) piracy as well. It flourishes only in countries without much in the way of copyright protection. It doesn't require additional draconian laws.

Meanwhile, you missed the real point of my article, which is that after a period of possible disruption, some form of publishing infrastructure will inevitably arise again, leading to opportunities for profit. If the music companies and artists fight that evolution, they will be left out. If they embrace it, they can be the ones to leverage the new medium.